Working 9-5

We like to talk about how the workplace has changed over recent years. But has it really? In many ways work hasn’t changed that much since Victorian times. How many people and companies are truly focussed on outcomes rather than time spent? And how many of us are working fewer hours and at the same time delivering better results?

So when you find yourself between roles, it is tempting to replicate the 9 to 5 of work with the 9 to 5 of a job search. And this approach can lead to you selling yourself short.

Often leaving a job is a stressful situation. It may have been unexpected or it may have followed many years of dedication to the job. So it’s vital to reflect on that time and take a step back before re-creating that period at home.

Applying a 9 to 5 approach can also create a false impression of a successful job search approach because you may start measuring productivity as the number of jobs you have applied for. This ‘spray and pray’ approach tends not to be successful.

That’s not to say that a level of discipline is not important or to understate other pressures such as financial ones that you may be under.

As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, writing an article on Linkedin is a great way of reflecting on what’s important to you and the things you enjoy doing all in one go. Spending some time volunteering can also be rewarding and you never know where that will lead.

It is also well worth taking a day off, perhaps even once per week. It’s not likely that too much is going to happen on a Friday, for example, that you are going to miss out on. If that is a challenge, at least make 1 day per week more of a planning day for the weeks ahead.

If your career is in technology, it only takes 2 minutes to reach out to us BML.Work where you’ll meet like minded people who help you with the next stage of your career.

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